Last week on “Game of Thrones,” we saw another side of Jaime Lannister. This week’s episode, “First of His Name,” seemed to serve as a response. This time we saw Cersei in a different light, possibly letting her guard down and acting shockingly sincere. And she made one very keen insight that’s impossible to ignore.

Let’s review what we learned, shall we?

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD

HOUSE ARRYNLysa: Let’s get the most significant plot point out of the way first before we delve into the philosophical. At the first wedding in recent memory at which nobody died, Lysa spills the beans while sucking face with her groom-to-be, Petyr Baelish. Littlefinger coerced crazy Lysa into poisoning Jon Arryn, King Robert Baratheon’s first Hand. He then had Lysa send a letter to Catelyn Stark, pointing the finger at the Lannisters. The man who wants everything will stop at nothing. And he’s just succeeded in singlehandedly taking the strongest fortress in Westeros. Not a bad place to start a bid for the Iron Throne, I’d say.

HOUSE LANNISTER

Cersi has endured a lot in this season of "Game of Thrones."NEIL DAVIDSON/HBO

Cersei: With the (un?)timely departure of King Joffrey, you can make the case that Cersei has once again taken up the mantle of the most reviled character on the show. And just like her brother, right when we’re about to cast aspersions on her, she goes and says something like this (while speaking with Oberyn Martell): “What good is power when you cannot protect the ones you love?” she asks. “We don’t hurt little girls in Dorne,” he responds, still smarting from the murder of his sister, Elia, at the hands of the Lannister knight, The Mountain. “Everywhere in the world they hurt little girls.” Cersei has suffered more hurt than many of the women on this show — whether its from Jaime’s brutality, Tyrion’s use of her daughter, Myrcella, as a bargaining chip, or Tywin’s callousness. Too often, Cersei has played the pawn in this game, and I believe she may be nearing her limit. At Tommen’s coronation, we catch a rare glimpse of a sincere Cersi. She seems to level with Margaery Tyrell about the grief she bears for her oldest son despite knowing what a horror he was. The pair wield their influence discreetly, as they’ve always done, plotting to wed Margaery with Tommen when the time is right. But ultimately, it boils down to this: “Speak to your father. I’ll speak to mine.” First of his name, for sure.

Tywin has a surprising revelation in this week's episode of "Game of Thrones," "First of His Name."Macall B. Polay/HBO

Tywin: We learned another reason why the Lannisters are so desperate to keep the Tyrells close: They’re running out of gold. Their last mine dried up three years ago, and with the Iron Throne in debt to the Iron Bank of Bravos, the Tyrells’ assets are all the more valuable. The Iron Bank, Tywin explains, is a force to be reckoned with: “We all live in its shadow, and nearly none of us know it.” Let’s keep in mind that this is the same Iron Bank that Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, is planning to rip off for his pal Stannis Baratheon, the man with the only true claim to the Iron Throne. This could certainly upset the balance of power.

HOUSE TARGARYEN

Daenerys faces a dilemma in this week's episode of "Game of Thrones," "First of His Name."Helen Sloan/HBO

Daenerys: Daenerys faces a dilemma. She has the ships to attack King’s Landing, but likely not the power to take back Westeros. And to boot, her recently liberated cities are falling back into the hands of slavers, or under the control of warlords. Her options: attack Westeros at half strength, or stay and regain control. Her decision: “I will do what queens do. I will rule.” But not all queens in Westeros rule, Daenerys. Just ask Cersei.

HOUSE STARKSansa: Sansa finds herself in another dangerous place, or at least with a dangerous woman. Her Aunt Lysa goes all kinds of crazy on her, accusing her of being Petyr Baelish’s lover and carrying his child. But when she deflects blame with some quick thinking, turning Lysa’s rage into sympathy, we see that it’s clear that Sansa is picking up on a few things from Littlefinger. He advises her as they cross through the Bloody Gate: “Know your strengths. Use them wisely. And one man can be worth 10,000.” One woman can, too, and Sansa will figure that out.

Area practices some swordplay in this week's episode of "Game of Thrones."HELEN SLOAN/HBO

Arya: Arya expresses her intent to kill half of Westeros. “Hate’s as good a thing as any to keep a person going. Better than anything else,” The Hound tells her. But The Hound seems taken aback when he learns that he’s also on her hit list. When he wakes the next morning and finds her missing, there is a note of panic in his haste to find her. He spots Arya practicing her Water Dance by a stream, and he taunts her to give her a taste of Bravosian swordplay. She sticks him with the pointy end, but the skinny Needle can’t penetrate his armor. With a quick backhand, he knocks her to the ground.

Bran is forced to make a tough choice in this week's episode of "Game of Thrones."HBO

Bran: Bran uses the Night’s Watch raid on Craster’s Keep as a means of escape. Though Jon Snow is there, he chooses to pursue Jojen’s vision of the great Weirwood on the hill and the three-eyed raven instead of reuniting with his brother. Let’s not overlook Bran’s supremely awesome escape tactic of using his Jedi mind trick to take over Hodor’s brain to put down Roose Bolton’s man, Locke.

Hodor: Hodor. Hodor, hodor hodor. Hodor? Hodor.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

• The Jojen-Bran dynamic is getting a little Raoul Duke-Dr. Gonzo. I’m happy that Bran has some friends to wander the North with, but this aspect of the show feels like it’s gone of the rails a bit. I think we need some kind of ah-ha moment to get this plotline back on track.

• The Podrick-Briene combo is sure to be entertaining down the road. I feel like we got a little preview of what’s to come. Interesting that Podrick wins Briene’s respect only after he talks about killing a member of the King’s Guard to protect Tyrion. Perhaps some foreshadowing?

• Speaking of Tyrion, no Tyrion this week. How sad. Is it me, or did it seem like Tywin was wavering in his judgment of Tyrion when Cersi pressed the subject?

• Comment of the week: It’s a great one from sferegrandi (long to repost here in its entirety, but here’s a piece): This episode was pregnant with meaning and foreshadowing, but it did feel like this was one of those "set up" episodes where the characters are positioning themselves for what happens next. Lots of foreshadowing with the "have mercy" advise to Danaerys, Littlefinger showing his creepy, somewhat lascivious side and his confession that he wants it all...